Advice from the Masters: Ben Bova

In addition to writing a slew of science fiction and several works of non-fiction, Ben Bova was a great editor. His work at Analog Science fiction earned him six Hugo Awards for “Best Professional Editor.” His work as an editor of Omni Magazine earned him the undying gratitude of those of us who loved that magazine. The following advice was aimed at science fiction writers, but it holds for all of us.

“In science there is a dictum: don’t add an experiment to an experiment. Don’t make things unnecessarily complicated. In writing fiction, the more fantastic the tale, the plainer the prose should be. Don’t ask your readers to admire your words when you want them to believe your story.”